by Ira Tabankin
“Won’t the militia and Army do that?”
“I’m not taking any chances or relying on anyone else to defend what’s ours. I worry that the Army may switch sides when they hear the President give them a direct verbal order on television. Tell John to be ready with every trick he has up his sleeve.”
“Will do. Should we warn them we’re going on alert so they don’t stumble into our live mine fields or our lines of fire?”
“Right now, I’m leaning towards not telling the Army, do tell the militia. If the Army decides to change sides they won’t know we’re on full alert and ready for them. They may assume we’re still one big happy family. I really wish I could go back in time and not have shown everyone where the shelter is, along with most of our defenses.”
“Jay, don’t worry about it. The militia knows about most of our defenses; we didn’t share the plans with the Army. If they try to attack us, they’ll be walking into a trap.”
“We’ve got a lot of work to do in three days. Let’s quietly get everyone ready. Check the fighting trench and the arming system for the mines. Don’t leave anything to chance. Our lives depend on it.”
“Will do, by the way, the General is on his way over. He texted to say he assumed you’d want to see him ASAP.”
“Good. He’s right.”
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Admiral Jefferson looks at the wet and scared survivors of the attack on the Missouri.
“Can one of you tell me what the hell you were thinking? 57mm guns and a quarter inch armor against 16-inch armor and 16-inch shells? You didn’t stand a chance. Why did you open fire? You could have turned around and saved all of your crews and boats. Please don’t give me the sorry excuse, you were following orders. No one has to follow illegal orders.”
“Admiral, we were following our orders.”
“Come on, you knew damn well how this was going to end. It was nothing short of suicide. Do you think I liked giving the order to open fire? I wouldn’t have if you didn't open fire on us. Once you did, you forced my hand. Damn you, look at the mess you’ve caused. Over one hundred dead, four cutters sunk when the older two decided to open fire on us. What did you accomplish?”
“Sir, we followed our orders.”
“You’re fools. You know damn well your ships weren’t designed to fight a real war. We’re not a group of drug runners. We’re real Navy warships. Your decision to attack was plain stupid.”
“Admiral, what happens to us now?”
“You’ll be fed, checked by the doc and sent to Panama City. I pray you don’t try this again. The next time I won’t be so merciful. We’re not enemies, I don’t want to fight you.”
“We were told you were planning on attacking the ports along the Gulf Coast. We were to stop you by any means.”
“Our orders were to blockade the ports, we weren’t going to attack anyone and I refused to follow those orders. The Task Force has been cruising in a large circle in the Gulf waiting to see what happens. We were minding our own business when your Admiral comes to replace me and then you try to attack us. Do you give me your word you won’t attempt to attack us again?”
The surviving Coast Guard sailors look at each other; they all nod in agreement.
“Good, then you’ll be shown to the mess where lunch is waiting for you.”
“Admiral, thank you.”
The Captain of the Missouri asks, “What are you going to do next?”
“I’ll let you know after the President’s town hall meeting. For now, I like steaming in the Gulf. The weather’s nice and there are very little swells. The crews enjoy getting some sun.”
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Al Afi laughs to himself, this town hall meeting is the perfect time for us to attack, they’re all going to be occupied watching the infidel’s silly program. None will be expecting an attack. I sent the order to stop advancing and wait for the town hall meeting. We should be able to overwhelm and crush them. That is going to be a night remembered for one hundred years. Allah surely smiles on me. He’ll honor my sending thousands of new slaves to hell. I’ll give the orders to attack in the middle of his program. I’ll tear that damn farm apart to find out what they’re hiding from me.
Chapter 19
Ricky knows something is going on close to his location, he feels vibrations in the ground, he’s been shaken out of his bed by deep explosions or earthquakes. Waiting until the middle of the night, he decides to risk getting caught by sneaking around outside his home. At midnight he slips out of his house, he smiles looking at the moonless night, knowing it will be harder for anyone to see him. He figures he can get a quick look and be back home before anyone responds to the tracking device he’s wearing. He’s dressed in all black, his face is covered in dirt so his skin doesn’t reflect any light. He stands in his small fields deciding which direction to search. He’s decided to cover 45 degrees an evening. He ties a string to his front door which he unrolls as he walks so he’ll be able to find his way home in the dark. He’s afraid to take a flashlight knowing the shelter’s cameras will see the light in the moonless night. He doesn’t understand how thermal cameras operate so he doesn’t know an alarm rang in the security room as soon as he left his house. The thermal cameras confirmed the movement, his tracking device alerted the shelter security that he’s on the move.
Todd is pouring his fourth cup of coffee when the alarm rings, he looks at the map to see which sensor has picked something up. He’s thinking it’s most likely another hungry animal looking for food when he notices the red flashing light is located at Ricky’s home. Shit, what’s he up to now? Is he finally going to leave or is he trying to raid us? I better track him to see which way he’s going. Todd clicks on his taskbar turning on the track mode so wherever Ricky goes a red line is shown on the monitor. Todd realizes he’s holding his cooling coffee; he sips it while watching the red line slowly move to the east. “Ricky, where the hell are you going? Holy shit, I know where he’s going. The new shelter is over the next hill. He must have felt the underground blasting. Shit, I better alert John. Boy is he going to be pissed being woken because of Ricky. The instructions are clear, if he gets within one hundred yards or is moving towards the new shelter, John is to be alerted as is the quick reaction force. I don’t know how inquisitive Ricky is going to be tonight, I better ping John, and I better quickly make a fresh pot of coffee.”
The alarm rings over John’s head, he curses thinking, why tonight? This better be good, if it’s some deer again, I’m going to kill and cook it to show the herd to stop pissing me off in the middle of the night.
“Todd, what’s going on?”
“Ricky’s on the move; he’s heading towards the new shelter.”
“Shit. You did good waking me. I’ll be right there. Did you alert the quick reaction force?”
“No, just you.”
“Good, no need to send the entire team after the asshole. I’ll get dressed and take an ATV to see what he’s up to.”
“I’ll keep an eye on you.”
“Give me five to clear my head.”
“I brewed a fresh pot of coffee if you want to stop here first.”
“Great, I’ll grab a travel mug before I go. Is the ATV outside?”
“Fueled and ready for action. There’s an M4 and shotgun in the first portal.”
“I’ll see you after I check out the asshole. I hate him, he woke me from my first sound sleep in a week. If I thought I could get away with it, I'd kill the SOB.”
“I’ll keep an eye on you.”
John exits the shelter with a travel mug of coffee. He slips his M4 and shotgun in the gun holders. He flips down his night vision device down over his eyes so he can see in the dark. He reminds himself that the night vision doesn’t provide a lot of depth perception. He quickly drives into the night so he can stop Ricky from locating the new shelter.
John pulls up within twenty yards of Ricky. Sitting on the ATV, he laughs to himself watching Ricky unroll a large ball of string so he
can find his way home. John shakes his head. He’s too close to the new shelter. I better collect the trash and bring him home. John sneaks up on Ricky.
“Hey, asshole. Couldn’t sleep?”
Ricky jumps in the air dropping his ball of string.
“What are you doing here?”
“That’s what I want to know about you. You’ve been warned about wandering around the farm. Where are you going? What are you doing?”
“I couldn’t sleep, I thought a little walk would help me sleep.”
“The string?”
“So I can find my way home.”
“Where’s the flashlight we gave you?”
“I must have lost it.”
“Really? We’ll have to dock the cost of it from your meals. Why don’t you get on the ATV and I’ll take you home? Please stay in your house at night. I’d hate to have to lock you in every night.”
“How did you know where I was?”
“My secret. Why don’t you tell me the real reason you’re out here in the middle of the night?”
“I already told you, I couldn’t sleep.”
“I’ll take you home and make sure you sleep.”
“John, NO! I’ll go home, I’ll be good. Please don’t punch me.”
“Ricky, I’m not going to punch you. I don’t want to hurt my hand. I have some sleeping pills I’m going to shove down your throat. Now get on and let’s go home. I’m tired and fed up having to babysit you. If you want to run away, please do it during the day. I won’t come after you, just walk out your back door and go.”
“Why can’t I walk in this direction?”
“Ricky, I don’t have time to play games with you, either turn around and follow your string home or get on and I’ll give you a lift. I’m running out of patience.”
“Okay, I’ll take the lift.”
Arriving at Ricky’s home, John turns to him,
“If I catch you wandering out in the middle of the night, I’m going to break one of your legs so I can get a good night's sleep.”
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While John is taking Ricky home, Jay’s slipped out of bed trying not to wake Lacy. He tip-toes into his office. Closing the door, he sits behind his desk. The only light in the office comes from his laptop display. He opens a file folder and stares at the list staring back at him. The last time the South broke away they already had a constitution, a government, a support bureaucracy. They were ready for the break. A few lucky breaks and they would have won the civil war. This time, we announced our intent to secede, we held an election and issued our Declaration. We weren’t ready. What can we do to bridge the gap between where we are and where we need to be? Whatever it is. has to be simple enough for the average person to understand. We need a final Constitution, a way to nominate people for a new government and a capital while also solidifying our military. If we don’t act quickly, we’ll lose because we’ll collapse under our own inaction. I’m worried we’re doomed before we get off the ground. I tried to tell the Governor he was moving too quickly. What did a month or six mean? It might have meant the difference between success and failure. If we lose this time, it will be the end of freedom. The President will rule us like a king. He’ll disarm us and take away our free speech. The South will be ruled as a special area always under martial law so we can never rise again. Damn him for trying to rush the process.
Jay stares at his computer, he’s lost in his own thoughts.
“You’re not going to be good to anyone if you don’t get some sleep.”
“Huh? You scared me. I didn’t know you were there. Are you okay?”
“Yes, I rolled over, realizing you weren’t there, I knew where to find you. What’s wrong tonight?”
“The same.”
“Honey, you can’t change what’s already been done, you can’t singlehandedly fix all of the problems. You’ll end up killing yourself if you don’t get some rest.”
“I can’t sleep. My mind doesn’t want to shut down.”
“I’ll give you two options; one, I’ll hit you in the back of the head with a hammer, or two, take the pills the doc gave you. Either one, pick now.” Lacy laughed holding up a hammer. “I’ve been waiting many years to whack you with this.”
“I think I’m going to spoil your fun and take the pills.”
“I thought you’d say that.” Opening her hand, she holds out two pills to Jay. I know you have water in the small fridge behind your desk. Take these now. I’m going back to bed. If you’re not there in five minutes. I will sneak up on you and whack you.”
“Yes, dear. I’m coming. Give me the pills.”
“Get your ass back to bed.”
Laying down, Jay’s mind wanders before the sleeping pills push him into a dreamless sleep. The answer is easy; we’ll operate as thirteen states as we slowly create a new constitution. We’ll operate under our own individual constitutions until we can pass a national one. We’ll formally adopt the Huntsville plan for our currency, yes, we can do this, we’ll take baby steps before we…. Jay slips into sleep. Lacy smiles listening to his steady breathing. I have to remember to thank Doctor Basco for the sleeping pills. Jay will never realize I gave him double the dosage. He’ll sleep for at least eight hours. I’ll get up early to make sure no one wakes him. He needs his rest or he won’t be good to anyone. Lacy drifts into a happy sleep.
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The governors aren’t getting any sleep either; the single bright light bulb in their cells is never turned off. Every sound echoes in their cool, damp cells. They were stripped of their jewelry, they have no idea what the time is, or how long they’ve been in the cells The guards have kept them confused by feeding them at different times and the food has been dusted with a mild sedative to keep them groggy. A few times the Tennessee Governor has woken trying to remember where he is and how he got here. He knows he should be someplace else. He can’t remember what he’s supposed to be doing or how he got in the cell. He has trouble remembering his own name.
The guards watching the captive governors laugh at their confusion. They file a report to the Secretary of DHS twice a day. This morning they sent images of the Florida governor wetting himself in his sleep. A couple of the guards wonder if they’ll be allowed have their fun with the South Carolina governor. They’ve already taken hundreds of images of her which they’ve photoshopped as porn for their own amusement and later plan to post online, destroying her credibility forever.
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General Arthur and Captain Black are enjoying a glass of bourbon and water,
“Captain, since you’ve decided to join the new Confederate Army, I think you’re wearing the wrong rank.”
“Have you changed the ranks?”
“No, but your experience places you above, not below Major Walker. As such, Colonel, it’s my pleasure to welcome you to the new South.” He holds his right hand to the Captain with a pair of silver eagles. “These were mine before I got my first star. I’d be honored if you would wear them.”
“General, that’s a hell of a promotion. Are you sure?”
“One hundred percent positive. I’ve watched you in action and how you lead your people. I’m proud to have you as one of my colonels.”
“In that case, thank you, sir.” Pinning the eagles on, “I like the way they feel.”
“Good. Now, let’s get to work. I’m very worried that we haven’t heard from the Governor. My gut is screaming he’s been suckered by the President.”
“Mine too. I had a really bad feeling about their trip north. What do you think about Jay?”
“I suggested the Governor appoint him as his LT Governor. I like him. I don’t think he’s going to allow any grass to grow under his feet. I think he’s what we need. He’s a no bullshit guy.”
“General, I can tell you, he hates bullshit.”
“Good, then we picked the right man. I wish I knew what he’s building.”
“Based on the concrete, it has to be another shelter. He’s keeping the
location and specifications secret.”
“I haven’t pushed him yet. We’ll figure it out soon enough. I think we need to plan the defense of the state in case the Cartel or ISIS returns.”
“Agreed.”
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Al Afi smiles, the infidel President will hold his town hall meeting in two days, the holy warriors will be ready to crush the infidels. First their damned farm, next we’ll sweep all the way to Atlanta. Their silly Confederacy will soon be part of our Islamic caliphate. Their stupid President won’t know what happened until it’s too late. They won’t know what hit them. Now, it’s time to have one of my slaves brought to me for my evening relaxation.
